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As global tensions rise and supply chains fracture, Canada’s critical minerals can anchor a new era of secure, sustainable, and sovereign prosperity, if we have the courage to act.
By Jeff Gaulin
By Resource Works
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The world is being reshaped by competition over resources, and Canada sits on the winning side of that equation. Nickel, copper, and cobalt are no longer just commodities; they are the building blocks of national security, clean energy, and digital infrastructure. Yet too often, we treat this strategic advantage as an afterthought.
At Vale Base Metals, we provide mineral security to a world in transition. We are stewards of nickel, copper, and cobalt reserves in Canada, Brazil, and Indonesia, and our refineries in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan serve allies in Europe, Asia, and America. Our combination of geology and geography, grounded in Canada, allows us to deliver a reliable and responsible supply of minerals through today’s volatility to transform the world of tomorrow.
Artificial intelligence and data centres. Robotics and defence systems. Energy and telecommunications infrastructure. Critical minerals are foundational to Canada’s economic resilience, our national security, and our global competitiveness. And you can count on us to be secure, sovereign, and sustainable.
In Canada, more than 7,000 of our employees explore, mine, and refine critical minerals across Manitoba, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador. We operate the only fully integrated mining complex in all North America. Our mineral abundance and our heritage in developing them responsibly make Vale Base Metals a Canadian champion, a global connector in a fractured world. We are Canadian, by choice.
But we are operating in an era where critical minerals have become weaponized. The International Energy Agency reports surging demand for key minerals and an increasingly concentrated global supply. Prices are being suppressed. Projects face regulatory uncertainty. Trade agreements are under strain. Export restrictions are rising. The response cannot be passivity. Canada can and must become a secure global supplier.
Jeff Gaulin operating a mining vehicle.
As Canada assumes the presidency of the G7, we have a unique opportunity to expand markets such as Germany, Poland, and other EU nations that today rely on minerals originating in Russia or refined in China. But this is not simply a matter of finding a match between Canadian supply and global demand. Supply chains abroad will not change easily or quickly without change here at home. Building new supply relationships takes time, coordination, and sharpening our value proposition to make Canadian minerals more competitive.
We must act on four fronts. First, position Canada as a supplier of choice to NATO and allied economies. Canada should aggressively pursue defence and infrastructure spending partnerships in exchange for long-term access to critical minerals at a security premium. Integration into Europe’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program would give us a competitive advantage to provide the EU with critical minerals for both defence procurement and strategic infrastructure.
Second, increase access to capital. Expand the eligibility criteria of the Investment Tax Credits to include mine development costs, and encourage our public pension funds to invest more deeply in Canadian critical minerals. The faster we move from discovery to production, the stronger our economic position becomes.
Third, elevate global standards. Through the G7 Critical Minerals Production Alliance, Canada should lead the implementation and enforcement of traceability standards and push for rules of origin that reflect the real risks of current supply chains.
Fourth, secure a global workforce. We are more likely to run out of miners than run out of minerals. To compete, Canada must recruit and retain the best in the world and turn them into Canadians, by choice. Priority review should be given to visas and immigration applications within the critical minerals industry to strengthen our secure, sovereign, and sustainable position in global markets.
Becoming more competitive will speed our minerals to markets and that is essential to Canada’s prosperity, resilience, and national security. The men and women who mine, refine, and ship these resources are not relics of the past; they are builders of the future. They are the reason why cities thrive, why industries innovate, and why our allies trust us. Their work deserves recognition, not rhetoric.
Canada’s prosperity depends on its ability to harness responsibly its natural abundance. A balanced, practical approach — one that values both environmental stewardship and industrial strength — will show the world that progress is not a choice between the two. Critical minerals are not just valuable rocks; they are the bedrock of Canada’s industrial, trade, and defence strategies — now and for a generation.
If we want to lead the new resource revolution, the path forward is clear. We must act with purpose, speak with unity, and build with pride. Canada’s time is now.
Jeff Gaulin is Vice-President of Corporate Affairs with Vale Base Metals.
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